Going on Saturday to look at a new Jeep. It's an 89 Cherokee Laredo, aw4, 4.0 (me thinks) with 165xxx miles on it. I'm really hoping it has the tow package (come on D44!)

http://dayton.craigslist.org/cto/5274817398.html

So now the relentless questions.

I have an 88 with a ba 10/5 (for now) that I'm in the process of reworking. I get renix (for the most part) and have gotten pretty familiar with the platform. I would like advice from you auto guys as to what to look for on this jeep? Is there any subtle ticks i should be looking for in that trans that would tell me it's gonna grenade on me?

I literally know nothing about the auto trans. I can read posts talking about them but would like any little tips that may be lost in the chitchat.

Supposedly the brakes are spongy cause they need bled, Standard Ohio jeep rust, but everything else is supposed to be good. I'll take a quick gander at all the meat and potatoes on it but like i say, just want any input from the more experienced early xj guys.

 

Probably spends more time parked than being driven, $300

 

I don't know what "standard Ohio rust" is, but I know the rockers there are long gone. FWIW that's about what I paid for my rust free '94. I'd talk the price down substantially.

 

Pull the trans fluid dipstick (sits a few inches behind the oil dipstick) and see if the fluid is dark and if it smells burnt. The AW4 trans is pretty stout though.

I paid $550 for my 00 XJ, but it had 202k miles and was knocking. You should be able to get that alot cheaper, unless XJ's pull a premium in OH?

 

Look on Craigslist indifferent states. South of you. Off a main freeway. Buy a rust free souther one. Even at a premium you'll be able to drive it and keep it a lot longer. And sell it for top dollar.

 

I'm doing this on a straight across trade for a gun so the price is about right for me.

My intention is to drive this through the winter and then use it as a parts vehicle when spring comes around. I'll probably pull most of the drivetrain to put in my 88 as it is rust free but worn out mechanically.

Maybe I am jumping the gun on this a little bit. Problem is prices are generally higher here than they were in New Mexico.

As for hitting southern states that's a great idea. Hadn't really occurred to me.

 

I wish I could get that for $300.00 here I'd buy it just for parts, $1300.00 that's the going rate around here and much less then that it's gone within the hour if decent or it's not worth looking at. Good luck with the interview with your possible new Jeep.

 

The general rule of thumb, here in Northern Michigan, is if its 4wd and runs, its worth at least $1000. That's what I paid for my 96 and it was in about the same shape, but a lot more miles and the floors were gone.

On the flip side, for our 1990, we only paid $2000 for a rust free Florida vehicle with only 122k on the clock. There's something to be said about looking down south.

Swapping it for a gun? Depending on the gun, it might not be worth it, but maybe not. 10 years ago I bought an Ar15 for $800... because of the current climate we live in, supply and demand, and all that, I could sell this same gun for double that. You might be further ahead to just sell the gun outright and do a little searching down south with cash in hand.

 

Same here, and if its rust free you can get even more since my state likes going heavy on salts.

 

Ohio definitely goes heavy on the road salt. Most everything will have some rust on it, even relatively new cars. As far as the rockers go I could just weld some tube after I cut them out

 

That's a mod I'm actually going to be doing in the coming weeks to my 96. Love the look of it.

I still suggest doing what you can to find a rust free XJ though. It is night and day difference wrenching on them. As an example, I just changed the tranny mounts in both XJs... the rust free 90 took an hour (if that)... the 96, battled to get the cross member off, snapped all four studs holding the mount to the cross member, so had to go searching for the right sized flared nuts (Props to Ace Hardware)... and when all was said and done, it took triple the time, triple the aggravation, and triple the cussing & swearing. Not that I'd trade my rusty old Heap for anything, but hindsight being what it is... I should have looked harder for something much less rusty. Every nut and bolt likes to fight back on it.

 

So, I could have dealt with the rust, the body damage, and even the faint smell of dead bodies in the jeep (the interior was damn near perfect considering it was an 89... but the t-case, oh the stupid t-case.

Turns out it was a np242j, which would have been awesome for my wife as a daily driver during the winter, the problem was that I'm pretty sure it was A- completely dry or B- the linkage was so rusted that it took all of my strength.

Either way I pulled on the t-case lever so hard trying to shift into 4x that I farted like a pack mule and shared a pretty awkward moment with the owner. (I'm pretty sure the guy was worried about having to clean the seat when I got up) Then his window didn't work, poor guy. I'm pretty sure it was the longest test drive of his life.

But yeah, unless I can get it waaayy cheaper, it's a no go. Even then, I just don't think it's worth the stress.

 

So I'm a weak and fickle man. 1 week after I looked at the jeep I called the guy back and offered him less.

He took it and I have another jeep sitting in the driveway.


It's her ice cream truck.

My intention is to drive this "some" throughout the winter and then start cannibalizing it in the spring.

Many parts in this jeep. Many many parts.

 

Jealous of your center caps.

 

I jealous too. I'm missing 3 center caps.